1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for enabling a blind or visually impaired user to use a graphical user interface, and more particularly to a system and method for enabling a blind or visually impaired user to handle message boxes in a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, there has been a move among computer application software developers toward graphical user interfaces. In graphical user interfaces, objects are presented for users to manipulate in ways that are similar to the way that they are manipulated in the real work place. Objects, such as file cabinets, folders, documents, and printers, are displayed on the screen as icons. Users manipulate these objects with a mouse to perform desired operations. For example, to file a document in a folder that is located in a file cabinet in the real work place, the user opens the file cabinet, locates and opens the correct folder, and puts the document inside. In the electronic work place of the graphical user interface, the user performs a similar process. The user opens the file cabinet icon, locates the correct folder icon, and drops the document icon in the folder. Because this is an electronic environment, users do not have to open the folder to put the document in it. However, users have been able to use their knowledge of a real work place to perform this operation.
Normally sighted persons find graphical user interfaces intuitive and easy to work with. However, except for an occasional "beep" or "bong", graphical user interfaces are virtually silent and the vast majority of the information they provide to the user is visual. Thus, graphical user interfaces are essentially not usable by blind or severely visually impaired people.
Blind and visually impaired computer users now benefit from many forms of adaptive technology, including speech synthesis, large-print processing, braille desktop publishing, and voice recognition. However, presently, almost none of the foregoing tools is adapted for use with graphical user interfaces. It has been suggested that programmers could write software with built-in voice labels for icons. Lazzaro, Windows of Vulnerability, Byte Magazine, June, 1991 page 416. Various synthetic or recorded speech solutions for making computer display screen contents available to blind persons have been suggested, for example in Golding, et. al., IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 26, No. 10B, pages 5633-5636 (March, 1984), and Barnett, et. al., IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 26, No. 10A, pages 4950-4951 (March, 1984). Additionally, there have been suggested systems that include a mouse with a braille transducer so that a blind user may read text and obtain certain tactile position feedback from the mouse. Comerford, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 28, No. 3, page 1343 (August, 1985), Affinito, et. al., IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 31, No. 12, page 386 (May, 1989). However, while announcing various text items, either audibly or by means of a braille transducer in the mouse, may provide some information to blind user, it does not enable the user to navigate about and locate objects on the computer display screen.
There has been suggested an audible cursor positioning and pixel (picture element) status identification mechanism to help a user of an interactive computer graphics system locate data by using aural feedback to enhance visual feedback. As the cursor is stepped across the screen, an audible click is generated that varies in tone corresponding in tone to the current status of each pixel encountered. With this combination in audible and visual cursor feedback, it becomes a simple task to identify the desired line by noting the change in tone as the cursor moves. For color display applications, each color is represented by a distinct tone so any single pixel may be distinguished from the surrounding pixels of a different color. It has been suggested that this system is especially helpful for visually impaired or learning disabled users. Drumm, et. al., IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 27, No. 48, page 2528 (September, 1984). However, the foregoing disclosure does not suggest a means of enabling a blind user to navigate about or locate objects on the computer display screen.
One feature of graphical user interfaces is the message box. A message box provides information, warning, or action messages to the user. Every message box consists of an icon, explanatory text, and one or more push buttons. The icon allows the user to identify visually the type of message. The text explains the situation and may provide assistance. The text may be a question or a statement. The push buttons allow the user to interact with the message box.
A message box may appear anywhere on the screen. When a message box appears, the system becomes and remains unavailable to the user until the user has acknowledged or responded to the message by selecting one of the push buttons. Thus, the user must read the message, move the pointer to an appropriate response push button, and operate the push button before the user can continue. When the user "clicks" on the appropriate push button, the message box is cancelled and the user may proceed.
Message boxes thus present a number of problems to the blind user. Presently, the only non-visual notification that a message box has appeared is a short beep. Since message boxes can appear anywhere on the screen, the blind user is at a complete loss to know what the message box is about, much less find it and act on it.